Bridgeport Group Seeks To Remove Flock cameras
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BRIDGEPORT -- A group called Bridgeport Ohio Flock Cameras has formed to push for the removal of Flock cameras from the community.
The bipartisan group was recently created to encourage residents to advocate for privacy and accountability in local surveillance practices.
A petition was created Aug. 4 in an effort to pressure elected officials to eliminate the cameras.
According to Flock Safety, the company that produces the cameras, Flock cameras are license plate readers designed to identify vehicle details that can help generate investigative leads. Those details can include a license plate number as well as the vehicle's make, model, color and other visible characteristics.
The group is asking residents to sign its petition in hopes of persuading legislators, data protection agencies and privacy advocates to consider the implications of Flock camera surveillance.
"We propose stringent regulations and calls for oversight to ensure that such systems are balanced, transparent, and used only when absolutely necessary," member Erin Crook said. "Our hope is that this communication, along with community engagement through the petition, will encourage a constructive response and greater transparency regarding the management and oversight of these cameras."
Bridgeport Village Solicitor Michael Shaheen said he understands and respects residents' right to start a petition but believes the benefits of Flock cameras outweigh the potential risks.
"I don’t deny that there are instances not necessarily in our jurisdiction, but throughout the country where they have been abused," Shaheen said. "So I understand the hysteria. My only point is that the potential good far outweighs the risk."
Crook said she understands the group's goal is primarily to seek greater public transparency. She also questioned the way the cameras were implemented, noting that the issue was never placed on a ballot.
"We have potholes all through Bridgeport, and there’s craters in St. Clairsville at the plaza, but they have the money to deploy surveillance on us," Crook said. "But they’re paying $3,000 per camera in Bridgeport alone and there are four. So that’s $12,000 annually of our tax money."
Crook said she also believes the technology is not fully understood by the public officials who have purchased the cameras, which makes her uneasy.
"They're surveilling innocent citizens who are law abiding," Crook said. "Nobody’s disputing that these help solve crime. Obviously they do and that’s a wonderful thing. I have a child myself, and God forbid something would happen. I’d be grateful if they were able to find her quickly. But that’s not all they’re using these cameras for, it’s that they have the ability to scan your license plate and store all of this data."
Crook added that she believes some residents are afraid to publicly express their distrust of the cameras because they fear retaliation.
Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley recently apologized publicly for instances in which the company's data was misused by law enforcement officers.
According to CBS News, police officers have been accused in 46 cases of improperly accessing Flock's license plate camera network to allegedly stalk women.
The Bridgeport group wants to see requirements for annual usage reporting and limits placed on the availability of automatic number-plate recognition data through public records requests. Members said such measures could help prevent the technology from being used for improper purposes, including stalking or embarrassing people for entertainment.
The group's petition can be found at Change.org under "Ban Flock in Belmont County."